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Nehemiah 8-9
New King James Version

Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

8 Now all (A)the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was (B)in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the (C)scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought (D)the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding (E)on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Then he (F)read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate [a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

4 So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people (G)stood up. 6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

Then all the people (H)answered, “Amen, Amen!” while (I)lifting up their hands. And they (J)bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, (K)helped the people to understand the Law; and the people (L)stood in their place. 8 So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

9 (M)And Nehemiah, who was the [b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, (N)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; (O)do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, (P)and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11 So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to (Q)send portions and rejoice greatly, because they (R)understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles(S)

13 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. 14 And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in (T)booths[c] during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and (U)that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and (V)in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and (W)bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

16 Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the (X)roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the (Y)Water Gate (Z)and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made [d]booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very (AA)great gladness. 18 Also (AB)day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast (AC)seven days; and on the (AD)eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

The People Confess Their Sins

9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of (AE)this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, (AF)and with [e]dust on their heads. 2 Then (AG)those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and (AH)confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and (AI)read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.

4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the [f]stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
Forever and ever!

“Blessed be (AJ)Your glorious name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 (AK)You alone are the Lord;
(AL)You have made heaven,
(AM)The heaven of heavens, with (AN)all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You (AO)preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.

7 “You are the Lord God,
Who chose (AP)Abram,
And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
And gave him the name (AQ)Abraham;
8 You found his heart (AR)faithful before You,
And made a (AS)covenant with him
To give the land of the Canaanites,
The Hittites, the Amorites,
The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
And the Girgashites—
To give it to his descendants.
You (AT)have performed Your words,
For You are righteous.

9 “You(AU) saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (AV)heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 You (AW)showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they (AX)acted [g]proudly against them.
So You (AY)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 (AZ)And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
(BA)As a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover You (BB)led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.

13 “You(BC) came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them (BD)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them Your (BE)holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
15 You (BF)gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And (BG)brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to (BH)go in to possess the land
Which You had [h]sworn to give them.

16 “But(BI) they and our fathers acted [i]proudly,
(BJ)Hardened[j] their necks,
And did not heed Your commandments.
17 They refused to obey,
And (BK)they were not mindful of Your wonders
That You did among them.
But they hardened their necks,
And [k]in their rebellion
They appointed (BL)a leader
To return to their bondage.
But You are God,
Ready to pardon,
(BM)Gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger,
Abundant in kindness,
And did not forsake them.

18 “Even (BN)when they made a molded calf for themselves,
And said, ‘This is your god
That brought you up out of Egypt,’
And worked great provocations,
19 Yet in Your (BO)manifold mercies
You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
The (BP)pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
To lead them on the road;
Nor the pillar of fire by night,
To show them light,
And the way they should go.
20 You also gave Your (BQ)good Spirit to instruct them,
And did not withhold Your (BR)manna from their mouth,
And gave them (BS)water for their thirst.
21 (BT)Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
They lacked nothing;
Their (BU)clothes did not wear out
And their feet did not swell.

22 “Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
And divided them into [l]districts.
So they took possession of the land of (BV)Sihon,
[m]The land of the king of Heshbon,
And the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 You also multiplied (BW)their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
24 So (BX)the [n]people went in
And possessed the land;
(BY)You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
25 And they took strong cities and a (BZ)rich land,
And possessed (CA)houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And [o]fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and (CB)grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great (CC)goodness.

26 “Nevertheless they (CD)were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
(CE)Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your (CF)prophets, who [p]testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
27 (CG)Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You (CH)heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
(CI)You gave them deliverers who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.

28 “But after they had rest,
(CJ)They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And (CK)many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
29 And [q]testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted [r]proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
(CL)‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
[s]Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And [t]testified (CM)against them by Your Spirit (CN)in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
(CO)Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
(CP)You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

32 “Now therefore, our God,
The great, the (CQ)mighty, and awesome God,
Who keeps covenant and mercy:
Do not let all the [u]trouble seem small before You
That has come upon us,
Our kings and our princes,
Our priests and our prophets,
Our fathers and on all Your people,
(CR)From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 However (CS)You are just in all that has befallen us;
For You have dealt faithfully,
But (CT)we have done wickedly.
34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
Our priests nor our fathers,
Have kept Your law,
Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
With which You testified against them.
35 For they have (CU)not served You in their kingdom,
Or in the many good things that You gave them,
Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

36 “Here (CV)we are, servants today!
And the land that You gave to our fathers,
To eat its fruit and its bounty,
Here we are, servants in it!
37 And (CW)it yields much increase to the kings
You have set over us,
Because of our sins;
Also they have (CX)dominion over our bodies and our cattle
At their pleasure;
And we are in great distress.

38 “And because of all this,
We (CY)make a sure covenant and write it;
Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests (CZ)seal it.”

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 8:3 Lit. from the light
  2. Nehemiah 8:9 Heb. Tirshatha
  3. Nehemiah 8:14 Temporary shelters
  4. Nehemiah 8:17 Temporary shelters
  5. Nehemiah 9:1 Lit. earth on them
  6. Nehemiah 9:4 Lit. ascent
  7. Nehemiah 9:10 presumptuously or insolently
  8. Nehemiah 9:15 Lit. raised Your hand to
  9. Nehemiah 9:16 presumptuously
  10. Nehemiah 9:16 Stiffened their necks, became stubborn
  11. Nehemiah 9:17 So with MT, Vg.; LXX in Egypt
  12. Nehemiah 9:22 Lit. corners
  13. Nehemiah 9:22 So with MT, Vg.; LXX omits The land of
  14. Nehemiah 9:24 Lit. sons
  15. Nehemiah 9:25 Lit. trees for eating
  16. Nehemiah 9:26 admonished or warned them
  17. Nehemiah 9:29 admonished them
  18. Nehemiah 9:29 presumptuously
  19. Nehemiah 9:29 Became stubborn
  20. Nehemiah 9:30 admonished or warned them
  21. Nehemiah 9:32 hardship
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Nehemiah 8-9
New International Version

8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(A) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(B) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.

2 So on the first day of the seventh month(C) Ezra the priest brought the Law(D) before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate(E) in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform(F) built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.

5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing(G) above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands(H) and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

7 The Levites(I)—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed(J) the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites(K) who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(L) For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing(M) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy(N) of the Lord is your strength.”

11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,(O) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters(P) during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[b]

16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate(Q) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.(R) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.(S) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated(T) it like this. And their joy was very great.

18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read(U) from the Book of the Law(V) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,(W) there was an assembly.(X)

The Israelites Confess Their Sins

9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(Y) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(Z) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(AA) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(AB) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(AC) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[c]”

“Blessed be your glorious name,(AD) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(AE) You made the heavens,(AF) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(AG) the earth(AH) and all that is on it, the seas(AI) and all that is in them.(AJ) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(AK) worship you.

7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(AL) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(AM) and named him Abraham.(AN) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(AO) You have kept your promise(AP) because you are righteous.(AQ)

9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(AR) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[d](AS) 10 You sent signs(AT) and wonders(AU) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(AV) for yourself,(AW) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(AX) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(AY) like a stone into mighty waters.(AZ) 12 By day(BA) you led(BB) them with a pillar of cloud,(BC) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.

13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(BD) you spoke(BE) to them from heaven.(BF) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(BG) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(BH) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(BI) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(BJ) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(BK) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(BL) to give them.(BM)

16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(BN) and they did not obey your commands.(BO) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(BP) the miracles(BQ) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(BR) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(BS) But you are a forgiving God,(BT) gracious and compassionate,(BU) slow to anger(BV) and abounding in love.(BW) Therefore you did not desert them,(BX) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(BY) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(BZ)

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(CA) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(CB) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(CC) to instruct(CD) them. You did not withhold your manna(CE) from their mouths, and you gave them water(CF) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(CG) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(CH) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(CI)

22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[e](CJ) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.(CK) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,(CL) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.(CM) You subdued(CN) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;(CO) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,(CP) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;(CQ) they reveled in your great goodness.(CR)

26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.(CS) They killed(CT) your prophets,(CU) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.(CV) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,(CW) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion(CX) you gave them deliverers,(CY) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.(CZ) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion(DA) you delivered them(DB) time after time.

29 “You warned(DC) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant(DD) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’(DE) Stubbornly they turned their backs(DF) on you, became stiff-necked(DG) and refused to listen.(DH) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.(DI) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.(DJ) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end(DK) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful(DL) God.

32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty(DM) and awesome,(DN) who keeps his covenant of love,(DO) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship(DP) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;(DQ) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.(DR) 34 Our kings,(DS) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors(DT) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness(DU) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you(DV) or turn from their evil ways.

36 “But see, we are slaves(DW) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(DX)

The Agreement of the People

38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(DY) putting it in writing,(DZ) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[f]

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
  2. Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
  3. Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
  4. Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
  5. Nehemiah 9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the
  6. Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
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